Vehicle-top.



G. H. SMITH.

VEHICLE TOP.

UPLIUATIONTILBD JUNE 11. mo.

Patented Nov. 28, 193 i.

2 SHEETS-SEET l.

Wmvfssffs mahmngwmlumzun v G. EI. SMITH2 A vasion: TOP. An-www1; Hmm :um: 17, 1910.

Patented 31107.28, 1911.

'EnH-samiu.

mesma .muren- :ern'gnusmrnrnnr onrion.

GEORGE ll; SMITH, JANESVXLLE, IWISCONSIN. Q.SIGNOR OF ONEFOURTH l` EDWARD J. SMITH. OF CHICAO, ILLINOIS, ANI) GNELFOURTH T0 JGSEPH M. CONNRS, 0F TAIYIL'SVILLR WISCGNSIN.

vnmouzl'roe.

Loodsen. Yspediamo fie-ners raten. Patented Nov. 28. 1911.

Application filed June i?, 1910. Serial No. 567,13-1.

To aZZ whom 'it may concern: Fig. 3 illustrates a. top plan View of a guidle 1t known that l', GEORGE H. SMITH, a ing member with parts associated there'sifith citizen 01'? the United States of America, and the same embodying a. slight-ly modified ar. resident onf Janesville, in the county of rang-ement for connecting the attaohment to 5 Rockand State of lViseonsin, have invented the top-iron; F ig. illustrates a View in ele- 53 certoln new and useful Improvements in VfliC-n 0f lp-IOII @Signed t0 take (11B Velnclef'lops, .of which the following is a place of the ordinary goose neck type irons specification. non? commonly used; Fig. 5 illustrates a side Y This invenza'm'relntes: to attachments for elevation o the top-iron now commonly used.

vehicles, the said attachments being designed Wll a @lomp applied hletO fr temp-v- $5y primarily for the purpose of ficilitating the mrily holding the top.; Fig. 6 illustrate; an

movement of tops such as the extension tops enlarged (letali view of the clamp; Fig. Y now usually employed on automobiles. illustrates a front View inV detail of a guid- ,An object of this invention is to produce ing; member applied to a single guide bar;

'15 an' attachment for automobiles .or the like- Fg 8 lllSflaCS a SeCtOnill View 011 the line 70 be effgctii're in Su} )p0rting and 8--8 It.; Fig. 9 lllutllle l1 guiding the top while it is being moved for construction in part comprising a clamp de- V the purpose of folding it; or for the pnl-p05@ 'signed to be used in connection with a double of extending or placing it in position to guide bar; Fig. 1G illustrates a vertical seccover both the front and the your sears, tional View through the clamp adapted for 75 A. further object of this invention is to use in connection with a double guide bar;

.- produce, detahubly Connected gufi@ bars as- Fig. l1 illustrates :L View in elevation 0f the c sociated with novel means for-.conneeLing the -flont of an adjustable clamp embodying a said guide bars to vehicles in `which there is slightly modiiecl construction likeivise for z5 a difference in the distances between the topuse in fonnecton with n Single goude bar; 8o irons at or near the front and rear Seats, Fig'. l2 illustrates a sectional View on the novel means being also provided for detaohline .l2-.l2 of Fig. 11; F ig. 13 illustrates a ably connecting the .said rails or guiding detail view of a fragment of a guide bar members in order that one person may ma having av l{ey i-.1;plied thereto; Fig. 14 1llusso npulate the top for the purpose of changing trates the guide bar shown 11.1 Fig. 13 hflv- 85 its posit ion in the manner indicated above.- ylng a lock applied thereto 1 n conpmction A further object of this invention is to mth a top -L fon for Supporting; the guide provide a support for vehicle top which barund Flg. 15 illustrates nfurther modi-I fis capable of application to Cars now in g-gncation whereby a guide bar 1s secured to a.

eral use and provision is also made for a" top-iron. t

special -construction of the top-iron which L In these drajx'ings Q16 denotes an automo- Willmore'eonveniently permit the manipulabile bod)7 provided with infront lop-iron 17 tion of the top for effecting the result indiand n. rear top-iron 18 which xnay be of. the cated. goose neck type although 1n F 1g. the iron 4o` With the foregoing and other objects in l? ssimlar to thecletnil shown 1n 111g. 4, 95 View, the invention consists in the details of that 1s to say the said iron 17 has tjvo apereonstruetion and in the arrangement and tures 19 .and Q0, the latter' of which is of combination of parts to be hereinafter more Slightly irregular contour 1n' order that. a fully set forth and claimed. key tto be hereinafter described) may be .45 In describing the invention in detail, rused 1n connection with 1 t and with a-guxd@ 100 erence will be had to the accompanying bar to be presently explained..

drawings forming part of this specification 1n the construction shown 1n Fxgsl and wherein like characters denote correspond- 2, I provide a double guide bar linvlng .an ing parts in the several views, in which upper .and lower rail 2.1 ano 22 Wlhfzm 1111x- 50 Figure. 1 illustrates a View m elevatlon'of trvemng spacc' which 1s forme ori tQ e 1,05

n body of an eutomobilehavmg n top with purpose of receiving the flanged n iee 4,

the attachment applied thereto. Fig. 2 the said flanged W'heel being guided by the illustrates an enlarged detail view of oneof rails Q1 and Q2. ille guide bur has ahole the guiding and supportin members vf'lth 25 1n one end corresponding 1n cononrkto 'f a traveling member associated therewith; the opening 20 m he top-iron 17 an a ey 11.

' provided .vitli a pin or stud 29 which is 'the members in 'operative relation.'

! s Leonesa appiied to the apertures of the guide bar and top-iron for the purpose of retaining The end of the .guide bar opposite t te aperture 25 is 'provided with a socket 2t) which re-.

ceives ,the top ironon the rear seat so that after the guide barhas been applied to the top-iron on the rear seat and the key has been applied to the guide bar and to ,the topiron on the front seat, the space between the two top-irons on one ide of the vehicle body is bridged and therefore the top may be snpported while the Wheel 24 is moving on the guide-bar. For use in connection with vehicles new containing a top-iron 27 of the goose neck type shovv'nin Fig. 5, having a single eye, I employ a guidebar 28 which is in all respects similar tothat shown ir. Fig. 2 except that the front end thereof is designed to be applied to the eye of the topiron 27 Whereas the rear en-:l of the said guide-bar 2S is provided with a socket similar to that shown in Fig. 2 for the purpose of heilig fitted to the rea'.` top-iron.

In both of the forms shown in Figs.'2 and 3, the flanged Wheel is ot the same construction although in dealing with the flanged wheel in Fig. 25 which embodies a slight modification, the said flanged wheel 'will be designated as 30 and referring to Fig. 3, it; will be observedl that the said tlanged'wheel 30 has a. spindle or shank 31 with a socket 32 in its end provided for the purpose of receiving the socket pin of the. ribs 34 of the top. When the parts rre in the position shownin Fig. or in dotted lines Fig. l., it follows that tbe flanged wheel may travel on the rail for the purpose o' carrying the op rearwardly to the rear topiron and that the reversal of the movement of the. flanged Wheel will resultJ in carrying the top forward so that it may be manipulated without. the operator sustaining the weight of the top .vhilo it is being moved.

IV hen it is desired to apply the guide-.bar

,to a front top-iron having a'single e5 e, it is desirable that means be provided for supporting the [op while the guide-bar is being fixed to the front. top-iron and I therefore provide the said f ront top-iron with a collar 35 which may be held on the front top-iron by a set screw 3G hai-ing an aperture for the reception of the socket pin 33. Fig: 5 shows the socket pin in dotted lines applied to the ear 37 and the said figure illustrates that the top is supported by the collar 35 in order that it may be possible to apply the guide bar to the top iron. After such an adjustment has been attained, the socketthat I can use this invention in connection with topfirons of the ordinary type or' by having a topron sach as is shownv in Fi a. 1 and 4, the guide-bar may be applied. to t e top-irons and the s-'ieket pin need not be. disturbed until the part-s are in position to permit a transfer of the socket,- pinl from the socket, or the aperture 19 to the'socket of the spindle of the tlarged wheel.

`I have found it desirable to provide means for connecting a guide-bar to vehicle bodies in which the distancebetween the top-irons is not always uniform and to that end I provide the guide bar With an adjustable connection with the topircns, the same comprising s; clamp which is slidable longitudinall',x7 of the guide-bar and provided with means for securing the said clamp in dilerent positions of adjustment. I have provided tvvo forms of elam. s one of which is shown .in Figs. 9 and 1C- and I will therefore describe each in detail. One consists of a body 39 having an upper and lower slot 40 and respectively adapted to re ceive the rails of the ,cuide-bar. In the form shown in Figs. 9 and 10,I provide a set screw At2 which is threaded in the flange 43 ot the clamp and l also provide the body of the clamp with an aperture in which a sleeve 44 is threaded, the said sleeve being provided with a key 45 which is rotatable sides o the clamp and also through the.

opening or slot A, betweer the two rails so that the clamp is thereinVY slidable on the rails for the purpose of adios-ting the position ot thetop-iron engaging er-.d 49 of the sleeve with relation to a top-iron. In the fr irm .shown in Figs. 1l and 12 the key 5G is likewise provdedwvhich is rotatable in the sleeve for the purpose of locking the clamp with relation to the top-iron while the top Ais being nnxnipulated.

In the form shown in Figs. and I4, there is a guide-bar consisting of two rails only a fragment of which is shown, the

front end of the rail being provided with a rotatable. key 51 having an annular slot 52 forming a seat for the set screw 53 which is threaded in the end of the gnide-bar and in this form, the top-iron 54 has an aperture of such contour as to receive the key when in a position at right angles to the position in which it is shown in Fig. I4 so that by inserting the key in the aperture of the top' iron and giving it. a quarter turn, the guide- 'in the sleeve and which is designed to pro- A iso bar cannot be detwf'hedfrom the tcp-iron until the key is properly manipulated.

.l .chow in Fig. 151i further modif-.ed meuiis for connecting the guide om .'35 to a top- ;'aron 56 wherein the top-iron has a threaded aperture to receive 'the screw 57 which .screw is also inserted in ah aperture 58 of the guide bnr. The details of construction for connecting the guide bnr to the top iron may be variously modified it beingunderstood that. in all of the ornis described.. the rear ende of the dranv har are provided 'with sockets to lecci-fe the :'efil top-irons.

have further. modified the constructiei'i of the glide. her :is shown in Figs. and 8 by employing one rail 59 and having n cnr ringe thereon provided with anti-friction whees 60 which unli-friction Wheels :we

nm mted on studs 6i! projecting from the tace of the plate (32', the seid plate having a shank 63 provided with :i socket 6ft for the reception of fine socket pins similar to the socket'pin 33 of F 5. By employing :i carriage such :is here illustrated which may be moved along the single i'iiihthe top may: be supported while the sinne is being moved from the iront to the rear of e vehicle body and vice versa.

Fig. 13 also hnS im opening or slot A for the accommodation of sliding blocks of the type shown in Figs. l0 and 1l.

I claimt- 1. ln :i tup support. for vehicles, :i guide bnr, means for holding the guide liar in place to 'spain the space between the top irons of e. vehicle, a wheel guided on said bnr and held against disengagement. 'therexwith, the said wheel having means for supporting :i socket pin of :i vehicle top, :ind

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said wheel beingl free to travetlongitfudi nai}y\ofthe guide `bar. Y

2. In cwnhniatioe. Wiii the top irons of :1

vehieie bodif havingsockes therein, of av socket pin fitting in the socket of said top 'ironI and :L collar secured to the top iron haring an :inert-uref! eer forming a socket to receive the soc-lect iron 0f the' tcp when said socket iron is removed from the socket of the top iron. y

8. In combination with the top irons of a vehicie body, n, guidedmr detnchnbly connected thereto, the Suid guide-bar having tivo iziiis with im intervening space, a chimp coml'irising a lindy slidnble. in the space between the rails, means for binding the chimp in adjusted position on the guide bor, means for connecting the clamp to one of the ngi-irons, and a iop engaging :md supporting ineniher monntedle moveon the guide han 4. In combination with the top-irons of a vehicle body, a guide-liar detachebly connected thereto, the said guide bnr having two rails with :in intervening space, e chimp comprising u U-Shzipedmeinber, a top-iron engaging member extending through the space hetn'een the rails and through the sides of the U-slmped member for connectingr die guide bar io the top-iron, and :i top supporting end engaging member mounted in move on the guide-bur.

In teetimcny whereof, I affix my signature in the pres-:ence o''tivo witnesses.

GEORGE H. SMITH.

fitnesses Y S. B. Eonmx,

CDW. H. PETERSON. 

